Intention. Again.
Beth reached for it, but a gust of uncharacteristically warm breeze caught it up and carried it through the air, tumbling round and round as it was swept farther away. The scent of lavender surrounded her for a moment then was gone.
Beth balanced the wine bottle on a flat bit of ground and put the cards next to it, weighing them down with a piece of flint. Then she jumped up and launched herself after the runaway card.
She hit something hard and the air was knocked from her body.
‘Are you okay?’ The familiar voice sent a shiver through her. She looked up, peering through the darkness. A pair of blue eyes rimmed with violet held her gaze from underneath slanted eyebrows. She stepped back. ‘Where did you come from?’
The man from the studio laughed. ‘The path. I think you were too busy balancing your bottle to notice. What are you doing here? Are you here for Laura’s party too?’
‘Laura’s my flatmate. This is my birthday party.’
‘Your birthday? I’m sorry. I had no idea. Happy birthday!’
Beth laughed. ‘Thank you. And it’s nice to see a familiar face. I can’t keep up with this TV crowd, they’re exhausting. Oh, sorry,’ she said, picking up the wine from the ground and gulping down a mouthful. ‘You’re part of that crowd, aren’t you?’
‘Not really. I’m pretty transient. I worked at the studio today because my Aunt Doriel has connections there.’ He bent down and picked something up from the ground. It was the tarot card. He turned it over and surprise flickered across his face for a moment, but when he looked up, his expression was neutral. ‘She was the resident psychic on one of their daytime shows for a while. I do a day here or there when they need me, but it’s not really my scene. I own the Third Eye Spiritualist Shop with my aunt. It’s down by the clock tower.’ He held out the card. ‘Is this what you were looking for?’
‘Thank you.’ Beth smiled and took it from his outstretched fingers. ‘Jonan, isn’t it?’
‘Well remembered. Are you a reader?’
Beth settled back down on the grass, leaning against the trunk. ‘Well, yes. I love books. What do you like to read?’
Jonan dropped down next to her, crossing his long legs as he propped himself up on the tree next to her. ‘I meant a Tarot reader.’
‘Oh! No. I’ve never even picked up a deck before, but this one called to me. I only bought it this afternoon.’
‘Interesting. The Starfolk Tarot,’ he said, reaching for the deck. He began to shuffle.
‘Is it popular?’ Beth felt her face heat as she thought about the card she still held in her hand. The card with the charioteer that looked exactly like Jonan.
‘It’s certainly one of the most beautiful decks, in my opinion,’ he said with a wink. He reached out and turned her hand over to display the picture. Then he pulled a card from the centre of the deck. ‘Particularly this one.’
Beth went cold.
The card showed a side view of a woman standing at the edge of a cliff. Her long, dark hair was tied into a plait that hung over her shoulder. White and green flowers were woven into the strands, matching the long, flowing dress that billowed out behind her in the breeze. A bag clutched in her hand, she was looking up towards the few solitary beams of light that broke through the clouds. Her face was filled with expectation, a look of ecstasy. That face was familiar in its soft lines and the gentle curve of the eyebrows. A long, slender neck was encircled by a green choker to match large bright-green eyes. That face was familiar. It was her face.
She reached up to touch her own neck. She felt the familiar soft jersey of her hoody rather than the thin gauzy fabric in the picture and felt oddly disappointed.
Jonan’s fingers still held her other hand. They were warm on her cold skin and tiny prickles of energy fluttered up her arm. His touch felt oddly familiar.
His lips tilted up at the edges as though he knew what she was thinking. He let her hand go.
The hoot of an owl jerked her out of her reverie. She pulled herself into the present, focusing on the sound of traffic from the main road, and the musty scent of old leaves.
‘I don’t understand.’ She picked up the deck and started flicking through the other cards. ‘Why are we both in these pictures?’
‘A coincidence, nothing more. May I?’ He gestured to the wine bottle.
‘Of course.’ Beth handed it to him and watched, head tilted to one side, as he took a swig. ‘I don’t believe in coincidence.’
He laughed. ‘Neither do I, but do you have a better explanation?’
She watched him, trying to read the energy that should have been flickering around his body. There was nothing. She had only ever met one person who could shield their energy that effectively, and the thought sent a chill down her spine.
‘Thanks for picking up my card. What does it mean, by the way?’
Jonan laughed. ‘Well that’s the mystery, isn’t it? What do the cards mean?’
‘You’re not going to give me any clues?’
‘Where would the fun be in that? These are your cards. I have a hunch you’ll be good at reading them. And if you really want a reading from someone else, there’s always the Third Eye Spiritualist Shop.’
‘The shop by the clock tower, I’ve got it.’
Their upper arms were touching now, drawing Beth’s attention to that small, warm patch of skin.
‘I’ve never met a professional psychic before.’
‘I’m surprised you’re not one yourself.’
Beth narrowed her eyes. What did he know? She normally kept a safe emotional distance from people, to stop them realising how strange she was. There weren’t many who could handle her talk of ghosts and unusual energies. Experience had taught her it was best to keep to herself. Only Laura had lasted any time, and she was too self-obsessed to care what Beth said.
‘What do you think you’ve figured out about me?’ she asked. She sat upright and turned to face him. ‘Has Laura said something?’
‘Nobody’s told me anything. You seem like you have more to you. You’re… interesting.’
‘I’m certainly that,’ Beth muttered. Putting the cards back into the box and shoving it into her coat pocket, she took another swig of wine. ‘Here’s to being interesting.’
‘You’d be surprised how far interesting can get you with the right people.’
‘And who are the right people? You?’
‘I’m more interesting that you’d ever have imagined. After all’ – he winked – ‘they used my face on a tarot card.’
Beth laughed. ‘So, what do I do with those cards? I’ve been looking Tarot up, and it doesn’t look like a beginner sport.’
‘The cards called to you. I believe you will be able to read them. But no, you can’t just buy a deck and launch in. It is something you have to learn.’
‘And can you teach me?’
‘A little maybe, but Doriel’s your woman. In her hands the Tarot has a special kind of magic.’
Beth handed Jonan the bottle. ‘And there we are, back to “you should meet Doriel”. What’s so special about this woman, and why do you care so much about whether or not I meet her?’